Snit -

I agree - it's tempting to give up. However, I know our legislators in North Central Washington are sympathetic to the problem - especially because of the economic impact the ESA regulations have caused.

As for the fin clipping - yes - it's nuts. I had a discussion with local biologists about the Wenatchee. That went like this:

"We've had three great runs of steelhead - records or near records - when can we at least do C&R fishing on the Wenatchee?"

Biologist - We can't open it up until we clip the fins on some of the fish - we haven't been doing that to recover the population

"So you'll clip all the fins this year so we can maybe fish in two years?"

Biologist - No, we'll clip (I think he said 40,000) but that probably won't be enough to open the fishery.

I've got to admit - I got a little disgusted at this point. Determining recreational fishery opportunities not on the numbers of returning fish - but on the numbers of fin clipped fish - when there are no fin clipped fish - or not enough to open up a fishery.

If Joseph Heller hadn't written "Catch 22" about WWII, he might have penned it about this subject.

JK